Why Chinese have Lanterns on Lantern Festival?

On the 15^th of 1^st Lunar Month, it is the Lantern Festival. Do you know why people have Lantern and watch Festival on that day? As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. Now, on Lantern Festival, the important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha’s body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to all China.

Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the China. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited. Besides, some companies and governments will organize a fireworks party.

How to make Yuanxiao/Tangyuan?

Yuanxiao, also named as Tang Yuan, it is a special food for the Lantern Festival. The traditional Yuan Xiao is one kind of sweet rice ball, which is sticky, sweet and round in the shape, symbolizing family unity, completeness and happiness.

With the economic development, the fillings inside Yuan Xiao are not only sweet, but also salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, walnuts, sesame, osmanthus flowers, rose petals, or jujube paste ect. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling. While the salty Yuan Xiao variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables etc.

Do you want to make delicious Yuan Xiao (Tang Yuan)? Now, follow us step by step:

Yuan Xiao (Tang Yuan) is made from glutinous rice flour. So you can prepare glutinous rice flour in a bowl and slowly add hot water until they mix into dough. Then you can pinch off the dough and roll them into small balls.

Next, you can fill Tang Yuan with either sweet or savoury fillings. Then try to enwrap all the fillings into glutinous rice dough. You can make different forms for different fillings.

After you finish all Tang Yuan, then you can drop these balls into boiling water and cook them for about 10 minutes until they float. Wao, you can enjoy the delicious Tang Yuan now!  

2013 Lantern Riddles

Guessing lantern riddles (猜(cāi)灯(dēng)谜(mí)) is an essential part of the Lantern Festival. Do you know the answer of below riddles?

 

1.      Why are people always tired on April Fool’s Day?

Because they’ve just had a long March.

2.      Why are dogs afraid to sunbathe?

They don’t want to be hot-dogs.

3.      Who is closer to you, your mom or your dad?

Mom is closer, because dad is farther.

4.      What are the strongest days of the week?

Saturday and Sunday. Because all the other days are the week (weak) days.

5.      What trees come in two’s?

Pear (pair) trees.

6.      Why do your uncles, aunts and cousins depend on you?

Because without “u”, your uncles, aunts and cousins couldn’t exist.

7.      Where do frogs keep their money?

In the river bank.

8.      What is the most difficult train to catch?

The 12:50 train, because it’s ten to one if you catch it.

9.      What part of a clock is always old?

Second-hand.

10.  What kind of years weight the least?

Light years. 

Lantern Festival

After the Spring Festival, there comes the Lantern Festival – on the Lunar Jan. 15^th, it is called as Yuanxiaojie (元(yuán)宵(xiāo)节(jié)), Chundengjie (春(chūn)灯(dēng)节(jié)), Xiaozhengyue (小(xiǎo)正(zhēng)月(yuè)), Yuanxi (元(yuán)夕(xī)), Dengjie (灯(dēng)节(jié)) in China. It is one of an important of traditional Chinese holidays. Do you know how did the Yuanxiao come? The first month of Lunar calendar called as Yuan Yue. And in the old days, Chinese people called the night as Xiao, and on 15^th, it is the first night of the round moon in the year, so people call Jan. 15^th of Lunar calendar as Yuanxiao Jie.

The culture of Lantern Festival in different places in China will be different. Generally speaking, eating sweet rice ball (吃(chī)元(yuán)宵(xiāo)), Guessing Lantern riddles (猜(cāi)灯(dēng)谜(mí)), watching fireworks (看(kàn)烟(yān)火(huǒ)) are the most popular to celebrate Latern Festival.

Sweet rice ball in China called as Yuanxiao, which is a special food for the Lantern Festival. It is said that Yuanxiao is named after a palace maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. And the Festival is named after the famous dumpling. It is easy to cook – simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes – and eaten as a desert.

While guessing lantern riddles is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the Lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.

On the night of Lantern Festival, you will find many magnificent lanterns and fireworks. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.